I was NOT prepared for this.....

This morning I woke up as usual, but something told me "check your pillow". No, not for tooth fairy money, although I would have made a KILLING if I got paid for each individual hair that was left ON my pillow. So, with a tear (or two), I scooped up the 50 or so hairs that had fallen out last night and threw them in the trash. I hung my head over the counter in our bathroom and ran my hands through my hair a few times and each time, just had gobs of hair coming out. Not like the previous days when I would run my hands through and one or two would fall out.....GOBS of gross hair just fell on the counter. I got into the shower, now mind you.....they told me "your hair will thin on Taxol, but not completely come out... and you have a little longer"....... I WAS NOT TOLD it would freaking come out in clumps on day 21! I was soooo not prepared for the clumps. I could feel it running down my back as I showered. I washed my hair and looked down at the shampoo-ey hairy hands of a gorilla. Of course, the tears started flowing again. I knew at this rate, I was not going to have much hair left by this weekend when all my friends would be available (maybe) for our "pink pajama shaving party".

So, my wonderful, beautiful, sister-in-law Kay had already signed up to come watch my kids for the day. She was my "chosen" photographer because she takes beautiful pictures, with my brother Shawn's camera, and really knows how to capture the moment. So, I called her and said "bring the camera" and then hung up and called Chris (sobbing) and said "can you take a long lunch break?...I have to shave it now because I lost so much, I can't even fix it and it will just fall out all day long and that's just plain GROSS and I don't know when Joyce is going to be available with all her back to school clients trying to get in last minute". I think he understood it all, but I'm really not sure because it was just like that......one big giant long run on sentence in between tears streaming down my face. But, he knew what he needed to do. I quickly pulled up a chunk of my hair still attached and clipped a pink butterfly clip around a batch of hot pink hair and snipped it. I wanted to remember the color I chose, since it was something I'd probably never rock out again.....who knows....

So, he arrived home about the same time as Kay got here, and we were all set up and ready to go out in the backyard. Here is our unexpected, sexy, beautiful, intimate, tear-jerking chapter of this book, as captured by Kay:
(crank up the volume and get your kleenex box ready.......)

Our beautiful Bald heads......Man, this guy REALLY loves me......

Off to work he went, and off to Chemo I went.

It was a beautiful day, filled with lots of tears, but at least it's done.